Ancient Roman Frittata with Quinces and Leeks - Patina de Cydoneis

Welcome to our kitchen. Today we prepare ancient Roman patina de Cidones, a frittata with quinces and leeks, from the 4th book of De Re Coquinaria. We start with the ingredients. We need quinces, leeks, eggs, olive oil, garum, defritum, honey, and black pepper. We peel and slice the quinces and mince the leek. Although quinces are mainly used in compotes and wines, savory recipes are also common in historical cooking. In De Re Coquinaria, they are used as vegetables in this recipe and another, to accompany roast veal or beef, as an alternative to taro, leeks, or onions. In the medieval sources, they are sometimes used instead of pears, gherks, or cucumbers. We find the recipes for soups in the Tractatus De Modo Preparandi et Condienti Omnia Cibari et Potus and in Maestro Martino's Libro de Arte Coquinaria, where they are also used to make a pie with pork belly and cheese. In a pan, we pour olive oil, garum, a bit of honey, and defritum, which is concentrated grape juice. We add the quinces and leeks and we cook until the quinces are tender. If needed, add a little water to avoid burning them. In De Re Coquinaria, we find a recipe similar to this quince patina but made with pears instead. Patina is a term that essentially refers to the cooking vessel in which this type of dish is prepared, but several patine in De Re Coquinaria are clearly petatas. In this case, we can use eggs or not, according to our taste, since they are not mentioned in the recipe, but in other patina recipes of De Re Coquinaria, we read that eggs are optional. There are some differences in the ingredients between pear and quince patina. The pear recipe calls for cumin and raisin wine, while the quince patina uses defritum. In addition, in the pear patina, we find the eggs that don't appear in the other recipe, but the rest of the ingredients are the same. Following the method for the pear patina, we decided to add eggs to the quinces and sprinkle the patina with black pepper before serving it, but pepper is optional. You can also use white pepper or long pepper to taste, since all three types of pepper were used in the Antiquity, as we read in Pliny's Naturalis Historia and Dioscorides Materia Medica. Defritum is very easy to prepare. De-stem the grapes and crush them in a mortar, then filter the juice and boil it until it's reduced by half. You can use store-bought juice, as long as it doesn't contain additives or sugar, that would ruin the flavor. Other possible substitutes are a little honey, raisin wine, or a few raisins. As always, garum can be replaced with a Southeast Asian fish sauce, muria, colatura di alici, or salt. To make garum and muria from scratch, watch our videos listed in the description below. We beat the eggs and pour them over the quinces and cook at low heat until the eggs set. If you want to learn more about ancient food, read our book Ancient Roman Cooking, which contains recipes selected from various primary sources, accompanied by an introduction about ancient ingredients, preparations, banquets, agriculture, food preservation, and more. On our Patreon page, you can find the full translation of De Re Coquinaria, as well as articles on historical food and other translations of sources, such as Tractatus, Appendicula de Condituris Varis, Libro de Arte Coquinaria, and several more. To know more about fruit in historical cooking, read Early Italian Recipes, Vegetables, Fruit, Herbs, and Flowers, the first book in a series dedicated to historical recipes, from the Antiquity to the early modern era. The second volume, just released, is dedicated to cereals, bread, pasta, and pies. You find a list of all our books, which include the translations of medieval cookbooks, in the description below, along with links to buy our merchandise and offer as a beer, to support our work. We serve the patina dusted with black pepper. This dish was delicious, with an excellent balance between the sweet flavors of the quinces, leek, honey, and grape juice, the spiciness of pepper, and the sapidity of garum. An excellent dish to be served as an appetizer for an ancient banquet, accompanied by side dishes, such as gourd and stuffed chard, and with an aromatic bread, such as moustache and sesamata, but also a good main dish for a simpler meal. You find the links to the videos in the description below. If you're interested in ancient foods and flavors, subscribe our channel and consider supporting us on Patreon.